Interesting People mailing list archives
more on Feds' weather information could go dark
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:34:47 -0400
------ Forwarded Message From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 10:21:54 -0700 To: <dave () farber net> Cc: <lauren () vortex com> Subject: Re: [IP] Feds' weather information could go dark
We paid for it!!!!!!!!!
Dave, You're damn right we have. And as a big fan of the National Weather Service Internet and now cellphone data and other offerings, I can't emphasize enough that the NWS services make most of the commercial services pale in comparison. Even getting detailed information from the commercial sites, bloated with cutesy graphics and ads, is often impossible. At the NWS sites, you can get the technical "forecast discussion" reports -- they tell you what's really going on and are the underlying detailed source for much of the sanitized and summarized data that mainstream media outlets report. And something else -- the NWS actually responds to queries. They really do care about what people think regarding their services. Recently when I noticed a problem with their cellphone reports locally, I sent an e-mail off to the designated contact reporting the problem and also making a couple of format suggestions. Within hours I had a personal reply and thank-you note, indicating my message had already circulated to the appropriate technical folks and that the data had been fixed -- and within a day or so my format suggestions were also adopted. The publicly available NWS weather products and services are a shining example of how government *should* be serving the people. To allow greedy and well-heeled commercial interests to shutter any of NWS' public operations would be nothing short of criminal. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () eepi org Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 http://www.pfir.org/lauren Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, EEPI - Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative - http://www.eepi.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com - - -
------ Forwarded Message From: Reese <reese () inkworkswell com> Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:47:37 -0400 To: <dave () farber net> Subject: Feds' weather information could go dark Dave, I'm quite certain I don't want to pay for things like weather information twice either, assuming all the facts in this article are true and correct. Reese http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/04/21/m1a_wx_0421 .html Feds' weather information could go dark By Robert P. King Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 21, 2005 Do you want a seven-day weather forecast for your ZIP code? Or hour-by-hour predictions of the temperature, wind speed, humidity and chance of rain? Or weather data beamed to your cellphone? That information is available for free from the National Weather Service. But under a bill pending in the U.S. Senate, it might all disappear.
... ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
Current thread:
- more on Feds' weather information could go dark David Farber (Apr 23)